When my sister texts, you gotta grab the screenshots.
She once offered to take a kidney instead of past-due rent from property we managed. Once she referred to her grandchildren as Angery and Dustbin, followed by “oops.”
So you’ll understand my reaction when I got a text:
Sis: I sent Maggie a package of rubber ducks awhile back. They now have a jeep. I was in the clearance aisle at Walmart and there was a poacher of ducks so why not?
Me: You mailed a duck poacher to Maggie?
Sis: Yeah. There is a hero in town. The dash is lined with ducks.
I was curious. Could AI interpret my sister? I pasted in the conversation. AI roulette.
AI went for literal first: “This is about Duck Duck Jeep, a friendly gesture where Jeep owners leave rubber ducks as a friendly gesture.” Double friendly gesture means it’s verified, I guess.
Well, yeah. I figured out the friendly gesture part on my own. I waited.
AI turned therapist. “Does the speaker see the dashboard-duck collector as aspirational? Or as a hero introducing Maggie into the community?”
No. When my sister aspires, it is definitely not for a duck collection.
AI then assured me that there was no metaphorical coded language. In other words, my sister was not an undercover agent.
I texted my sister about using some of her texts in my newsletter.
Sis: Maybe….magybnet
That sounded like a new fungus to me. I haven’t asked AI, though.